Coincidental Meeting
by Settiai
Summary: After everything they had been through with the whole Mayor Wilkins fiasco, he thought that he deserved a vacation.


Title: Coincidental Meeting

Author: Settiai

Disclaimer: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," and other related characters are all properties of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and other related corporations. No infringement is intended. This story, such as it is, was written as a sign of respect and love for the characters, the show, and their creator. I claim no ownership of the aforementioned show and characters.

Rating: PG-13

Explanation: This is my story for the "Night They Never Met" Ficathon on LiveJournal, and it was written for maybedarkpink.

Summary: After everything they had been through with the whole Mayor Wilkins fiasco, he thought that he deserved a vacation.

Feedback: Comments and helpful criticisms are always appreciated.

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Three weeks after blowing up Sunnydale High, Giles decided that -- at the very least -- he deserved a vacation. Things had been quiet around town since the Mayor's death, and it wasn't as if Buffy and the others really needed his help. Angel was gone for good, as were both Cordelia and Wesley, and Xander wasn't expected back from his road trip for at least another two months. Buffy, Willow, and Oz were all three preparing to begin their college lives…

…and he was spending the majority of his time inside his home, reading books and trying to decide what to do with his life now that he no longer had a job as a Watcher or a librarian.

He hadn't even bothered to tell anyone face-to-face that he was leaving. Instead, he spoke to Joyce over the phone and asked her to pass the word along to Buffy, threw several of his belongings into an old suitcase that he hadn't used in years, and left town.

It wasn't until he was almost an hour out of town that he realized that he didn't have a clue as to where he was heading. After several seconds of startled realization, Giles shook his head and kept driving. It really didn't matter if he didn't have any plans… it wasn't as if anyone was really depending on him.

He was still thinking that when he noticed the dark-haired man walking along the side of the road, his thumb held out. "Hitchhikers," Giles muttered, shaking his head.

The thought of stopping didn't even cross his mind at first. When the hitchhiker turned his face toward the oncoming car, though, revealing a young man in mid-twenties that reminded Giles painfully of Xander, Giles let out a sigh and pressed down on the break.

He brought the car to a stop beside the man and rolled down the window. "Where are you going?" he asked tiredly.

"Los Angeles," the man replied in a thick Irish accent. "Happen to be heading in that direction?"

For a moment, Giles considered telling him that he was sorry but that wasn't even close to where he was heading. When he saw the hopeful expression in the younger man's eyes, however, he felt himself give in.

"I'm really not going anywhere specific," Giles said, shrugging. "I can give you a ride if you'd like."

When the man's mouth split into a wide grin, Giles felt a bit of his irritation fade away. The man didn't exactly make it easy to be aggravated at him.

As the man climbed into the passenger seat of his car, Giles held out his hand. "Rupert Giles," he said. "But most people call me Giles."

"Francis Doyle," the man said, taking Giles's hand. "I usually just go by Doyle, though."

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After a good fifteen minutes of riding in silence, Giles turned toward Doyle. "Why are you heading to Los Angeles?"

Doyle didn't reply for several seconds, but he finally shrugged. "I'm supposed to meet up with someone there in a month or so," he replied. "I wanted to get moved into an apartment and let some prior acquaintances know that I'm back in the city before I talk with him though."

He paused for a moment and shot Giles a curious look. "What about you?" he asked. "Want to tell me why you're pretty much driving aimlessly through California?"

Giles sighed. "I was librarian at the high school in Sunnydale," he said, keeping an eye on Doyle's face. "Judging by the way you just grimaced, I'm assuming that you've heard about the explosion?"

Doyle nodded. "I was… a mentor to several students there," Giles continued. "Now that they've graduation and I no longer have a job, I… it seems like I don't have that much reason to stay in Sunnydale anymore."

For a moment, Doyle stared at him with some scrutiny. "These kids that you were a mentor to, was it in a father-figure kind of way?" he asked.

Giles thought for a moment before slowly nodding. "You could say that," he said after a moment or two.

"Then don't just turn your back on them just because you think you don't have any reason to stay," Doyle said with some seriousness. "Former teacher to former teacher, you'd be an idiot if you did that."

Giles stared at him. "Former teacher?"

Doyle chuckled at the disbelieving look on the other man's face. "Appearances can be deceiving," he said lightly.

At that, it was Giles's turn to smile. "I'm well aware of that," he said. "I've met several va-- people who seem perfectly normal at first glance but… are rather dangerous once they get you alone."

Doyle raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't happen to be talking about the kind of people who're allergic to sunlight and really hate wooden stakes?"

"Actually, I was," Giles said, giving Doyle an appraising look. "I'm surprised that you'd know about the darker side of the world, though. You don't have the look."

"You'd be surprised," Doyle muttered, sinking down in his seat.

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"Thanks for the lift," Doyle said, shooting him a slight grin.

Giles smiled back. "And thank you for calling me an idiot," he replied, his eyes twinkling. "I might be better off if more people were to do the same."

"Probably," Doyle agreed, earning himself dry chuckle from Giles. "Now, how about you follow my advice and get back home?"

At his words, Giles froze for just an instant. When Doyle shot him a worried glance, however, he relaxed and let a smile tug at the corners of his mouth. "No one's ever referred to Sunnydale as home before," he explained softly. "At least not in reference to me."

Doyle raised an eyebrow. "Well, do you consider it home?"

Giles stared at him for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face. "I've never really thought about it before," he said after a few seconds. "But, now that you've brought it up… yes, I believe that I do."

"Then that's all that matters," Doyle said, grinning as he slammed the door shut. He waved through the window before turning and walking away, leaving Giles sitting there with a surprised expression on his face.

"Sunnydale as home," Giles muttered, watching Doyle disappear in the distance. "Whoever would have guessed that would happen…"


End file.
